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Kent State PRSSA Wins Two National Awards

Posted Oct. 29, 2010

The Kent State Chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) recently received two national awards honoring its work with the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau and its outstanding relationship with the Akron Area Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA).

2010 Teahan National Chapter AwardPRSSA Kent and Akron PRSA won the national PRSSA Teahan Chapter Award for Outstanding PRSSA/PRSA Relationship at the Annual Awards Ceremony during the PRSSA 2010 National Conference in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 18.

“We’re very fortunate to have such a good relationship with Akron PRSA,” said Aubrey Haskins, a senior public relations student and PRSSA Kent officer. The professionals share valuable career advice and insight about the public relations field.”

The chapters collaborated on several events in 2010 including a social media conference and a networking event. Akron PRSA members also serve as guest speakers and mentors throughout the year.

“Our members feel that it is one of our obligations to mentor the members of PRSSA Kent to assist them in becoming the public relations leaders of tomorrow,” said Tom Duke, APR, Fellow PRSA, president, Akron Area PRSA. “We are very proud of our association and look forward to cooperative efforts in the future.”

The Teahan Chapter Award for Outstanding PRSA/PRSA Relationship Award recognizes the strong and mutually beneficial relationship between the two chapters. PRSSA National gives 12 Teahan National Chapter Awards annually to honor the achievements of chapters across the country. PRSSA Kent and Akron PRSA previously won a Teahan in this category five years ago.

U.S. Census Bureau Valuable Partner AwardThe U.S. Census Bureau presented Kent State a valuable partner award for its “Count Kent in a Flash” campaign. A team of PRSSA Kent members implemented the campaign to raise awareness and participation in the 2010 Census. The campaign was part of the PRSSA National Bateman Case Study Competition.

“This project provided students with a valuable opportunity to apply skills learned in the classroom to a real-world communication challenge,” said Michele Ewing, APR, Kent State associate professor and PRSSA Kent faculty adviser.

To kick off the campaign, Kent State students teamed up with the U.S. Census Bureau for the Portrait of America Road Tour, which featured 13 vehicles traveling throughout the country. At the Kent State stop, attendees had an opportunity to learn more about the census and how it benefits Kent State and Kent communities through census-themed activities and information tables. The campaign also included a street team, pledge drives and numerous presentations.

Members of the PRSSA Kent Bateman Team included senior public relations students: Aubrey Haskins, Stephanie Mathias, Erin Orsini, Rachel Polchek and Katie Young. Iris Harvey, vice president of University Relations, will present the award to the PRSSA Kent Bateman Team on Nov. 3 at 7:30 p.m. in Room 415, Franklin Hall.

About PRSSAIn 1968, the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) founded the Public Relations Student Society of America. The purpose of PRSSA is to cultivate a favorable and mutually advantageous relationship between students and professional public relations practitioners. PRSSA has more than 9,600 members in 284 chapters on college campuses across the country.

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